


Resonance

by LadyAruofElyonia



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Haru especially, How Do I Tag, Loads and Loads of Characters - Freeform, Magic, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shiptease everywhere, be prepared, but please give it a shot, haru's got a secret, no seriously i am going to shiptease a lot of ships, ooc ness, semi slow build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-05
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-07 12:35:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1899252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAruofElyonia/pseuds/LadyAruofElyonia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After living in quiet Iwatobi for the past seventeen years, a whirlwind of change was about to come upon one Haruka Nanase and his teammates as they realize that the freestyler isn't exactly who they thought he was one evening.</p><p>(Alternate Universe-set post ep 12)<br/>This is unbeta'd but still pretty good if i do say so myself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

~1~

The Iwatobi swim team was in the process of leaving a joint practice with Samezuka.

During the practice, Gou had successfully wheedled her brother into helping improve Rei’s butterfly stroke; how she got the pair of Samezuka redheads to agree would be a mystery. Nagisa had an idea though, and voiced it as he spotted her dragging her brother over to the lanes where Iwatobi was, seeing Mikoshiba watch them from the corner of his eye.

“It’s obvious, Gou used her sex appeal on Sei-sempai and threatened to give him her number if Rin-rin didn’t cooperate!”

“Oi! Don’t call me that you little runt! And don't insinuate my sister would ever go out with Mikoshiba!”

“My name is not Gou, Nagisa! It’s Kou! And I don’t use my sex appeal you little-!”

“Nagisa, Rin, Gou-chan, calm down!” Makoto chided them as he pulled himself from the water, giving them a disapproving frown.

“But Mako-chan-”

“Makoto-sempai!” The first years chimed in unison, Rin choosing to ‘harumph’ and glare in Mikoshiba’s direction. Makoto sighed and looked to the clock on the wall, then back to Gou in particular.

“Gou-chan, don’t you have to meet your friend now?”

“Eep! Thank you Makoto-sempai! Keep up the good work everyone!”

She glared at Nagisa one last time before hurrying off, leaving her black notebook behind on the bench she usually sat on to record their times.

~~~

Nagisa and Rei were talking animatedly while Makoto kept a firm hand on Haru’s shoulder, keeping the him from sneaking back into the pool. Rin and Nitori were walking with them along the path back to the dorms and gate, the shorter chattering on about how he had improved his time that day.

“Oi! Tachibana! Wait up a moment!”

Makoto stopped walking and turned, spotting Mikoshiba waving a familiar notebook. The first years a few feet away had paused to wait as he jogged up to his fellow captain, holding it out.

“I noticed that Gou-kun left this behind, would you mind delivering it to her?”

Makoto took it with a smile and tucked the dark notebook into his bag.

“Thank you, Mikoshiba-san. I’ll be sure to give it to her tomorrow.”

“Oi! Don’t call my sister’s name so friendly, Captain!” Rin growled out as the fellow redhead grinned in his direction. Rin was on the strict ‘need not to know’ list of the knowledge that Mikoshiba had written his number on one of the blank pages of the book.

“If you give me her number already we wouldn’t have this conversation every time Matsuoka!”

“Like hell I will! Especially to you!”

Nitori broke the rising tension between his teammates, eyes filled with worry.

“Is it just me, or is it getting windy?”

No sooner had Nitori posed the question when it violently picked up, forcing the group to cling with white-knuckled grips on their various swim bags and each other. Makoto clung fiercely to Haru as Mikoshiba grabbed Rin by the scruff of his jacket collar and tugged him into the huddle with the Iwatobi second years. The three first years clung to each other in a kneeling huddle where they were a little ways off. Rei had Nagisa clinging to his neck and Nitori clung just as tight to both of their jackets, making himself as small as possible in Rei’s protective hold over the smaller duo.

“Oi what’s up with this wind?” Rin bellowed, hair whipping Mikoshiba in the face as he craned his head around, squinting as he tried to see.

He felt Mikoshiba’s arm tighten on the scruff of his neck and pull his head down into one muscular shoulder. Rin squawked at the treatment, face heating feeling Makoto press Haru into his back as they drew closer, shoving him even closer to Mikoshiba who lowered his head against the gale.

A bright light shone and forced the group to keep their heads down, eyes clamped shut against the light. The rustle of cloth and light tapping of shoes onto the pavement could just be heard as the roaring of wind died down to a whisper and the light began to fade.

The swimmers untangled themselves, well, Nagisa remained hanging off of Rei like a koala and Nitori had darted to his sempai’s side, clinging shamelessly to the front of Rin’s jacket and shaking. Rin awkwardly patted his roommate’s head, looking to where Makoto had straightened from his hold on Haru’s shoulders for help.

When the light vanished completely and there wasn’t the hint of a breeze, the focus turned to the three figures that now stood before the seven swimmers. They were cloaked in grey from their heads to the tops of their boots-a soft brown color, and before anyone could fully register their presence the trio had dropped down onto bended knee, heads lowered as they pressed their left fists over their hearts, right fists flush onto the ground. Each wore a pair of gloves-black with a paler scrollwork done over the backs of the hands.

“Nanase-sama, we have arrived on behalf of the Goddess’ command.” They chorused in unison. Their voices carried in such a way that no one could tell what gender any of them were.

The group turned to look at the black haired freestyle swimmer. His eyes had widened in surprise and he had taken a half step back, as if ready to bolt away from the trio.

“Oi oi Haru-chan who are these people?” Nagisa asked, having dropped from Rei’s neck to tug on Haru’s sleeve, looking at the newcomers with wide pink eyes.

The tallest out of the three rose from their semi crouch and bowed, one black covered hand catching the edge of their long grey cloak patterned in dark violet at the hem and sweeping it wide in a grand flourish as the dark grey covered arm swung behind their back. They noticed an odd uniform underneath the long cloak in the brief moment it was revealed in the flourish. It was white and had the hem cut into four points, two in front and two longer ones that reached down to their knees. With the falling sun it was hard to tell anything beyond that about the figure’s gender.

“Nanase-sama, our actions are under the Goddess’ will. Please forgive us.”

The words had barely finished when the three figures darted forward-not half a second after the tallest had finished. The next thing they knew the tallest had pulled something from beneath their cloak and caught Haru by surprise. Their glowing glove covered hands encircling Haru’s throat for a moment before drawing their fingers down, creating a glowing trail in their wake. The shorter duo of the trio moved as one- forming rings of light with their hands as they grabbed at Haru’s wrists, holding them in place as they slid their smaller rings of light onto them. The one on Haru’s left drew their hands along the back of his palm to his fourth finger, an even smaller ring surrounded it.

All three jumped back as Rin dashed forward to swing a fist at the tallest while Makoto caught Haru; the teen had fallen back from the tallest figure’s hasty retreat. The rings of light dimmed and Haru looked around at his surroundings, blue eyes widening as he looked down at his hands, one rising to trace around his neck. There was nothing obvious, but Haru’s actions indicated otherwise as he clenched a fist.

“Oi you! Let me go!” Rin had pursued the tallest and they had him pinned on his knees, one arm twisted up behind his back.

“You three, just what did you do to me?” He asked, glancing over his shoulder for a brief moment to mutter a brief ‘thank you’ to Makoto before fixing the three with a glare as he straightened up.

The shortest of the trio of figures removed their hood to reveal a head of brown hair that fell partially over mismatched yellow-gold and brown eyes that were starting to fill with tears.

“I’m sorry, Nanase-sama. But the Goddess’ will commanded us and we are bound by it to obey.”

A wind tossed back the taller two figure’s hoods. How they had stayed up in their dash and retreat would remain a mystery.

The tallest of the three had short, dark brown-almost black- hair with two strands that were braided just before their ears and fell down to the collarbone. Three small beads of varying shades of blue secured as well as decorated the ends. Their eyes were a light violet that were fixed upon Haru, keeping a firm grip on the pinned Rin.

The last figure had darker skin than the other two, along with dark blue hair in a braid pulled over one shoulder, grey eyes watching the swimmers behind frameless glasses. With the hood down, they could make out a high collar of a dark grey shirt underneath the slightly different shade of the cloak. They were the one to speak up next.

“The Goddess sent us with this for you, Nanase-sama.”

A gloved hand came from the folds of the cloak, offering a crisp, ivory colored envelope that was sealed with a white wax seal. Haru narrowed his eyes when he turned it over and noticed the winged creature that was stamped in gold against the white background.

“I’ll deal with it later. As for you three...” He crossed his arms over his chest, letter loosely held between two fingers of his right hand and looked down at the trio.

“Igraine, let Rin go.”

Rin hit his chin on the pavement as the tallest sprang back from their half crouch over him with a breathless “Yes Nanase-sama”.

Nitori hurried forward in a babble of worry as he got to Rin’s side. The redhead batted away Nitori’s offer of assistance as he got to his feet, shooting the tallest-Igraine a hate-filled glare as he returned to his captain’s side with the other swimmers, rubbing his chin irritably. It wasn’t bleeding, but did look an angry red. 

Haru gave an exasperated sigh.

All he wanted to do was swim. Listen to the water ebb and flow around him and just forget everything that was going on. He had initially been surprised at the trio’s appearance, but now he was tired and there were a lot of things that needed to be done before he would get to relax if memory served him correct.

He raised his left hand and looked at it. A blue and silver ring was wrapped around his ring finger. The gem caught some of the remaining light and sparkled, the thin strands of metal appearing to be braided in an intricate pattern, circling his finger as if it was made for it. He knew that trying to remove the ring was useless.

“She really is serious this time, isn’t she?” He muttered as tucked his hand back into his right elbow, eyes fixing the trio with a stare

“Igraine, what exactly are your orders from her?”

The tallest, now clearly identified as Igraine, stepped forward as they looked past Haru to the remaining swimmers, who were switching between Haru and the trio to stare at. They turned their attention back to Haru and met his level stare.

“Do you trust these people, Nanase-sama?” They said slowly, glancing from swimmer to swimmer, cloak rustling as they shifted. There was a soft sound of metal clinking against metal that caused Haru to narrow his blue eyes.

“Hands where I can see them, Igraine Connolly.” Haru put his hands onto his hips, the letter he still held crinkling slightly when he pressed it against his hip, as black gloved hands shot out from within the folds of the cloak before he had finished speaking.

“My apologies, Nanase-sama. Forgive my wariness, Nanase-sama.” They swept into a deep bow, cloak flaring out again. This time there was a silver cuff around one wrist, sticking out from the edge of the glove just barely able to be seen if not for when the light reflected off of it.

“As for an answer, yes I do trust them. Now answer me, Igraine Connolly. What are your orders.” It was clear from Haru’s tone that it was no longer a simple question, but an order to be obeyed swiftly.

Igraine swept into another bow with slightly less flourish than the previous few. “We have been instructed by the Goddess Amerlain, Watcher of the seals, Lady of the seven lands, the-”

“Get on with it, Igraine!” Haru snapped and the shortest of the trio jumped with a squeak at his irritated tone.

Makoto looked at his childhood friend with worry in his eyes and Mikoshiba looked scandalized at the tone Haru had taken. He himself may seem to be a hard captain, but the fire top had never in his memory taken that type of tone with any of his team mates. To hear it from the usually quiet and reserved Nanase came as a shock. Nagisa’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head and Rei’s hand had frozen in the process of adjusting his glasses. Even Rin looked wary, stepping in front of Nitori as he glanced to where the black haired boy stood, seeming taller than the figure by sheer presence alone, despite the figure being a half head taller than him. Igraine didn’t seem to bat as much as an eyelash as they carried on as if nothing had interrupted.

“The Goddess Amerlain has instructed that we are to deliver the letter you hold in your possession, as well as cast upon you, as according to the Goddess Amerlain’s orders that we received, the spell for the bindings of suppression of touch with the Source that was discovered and refined by the late Scroll keeper of the Seals, Oracle of the-”

They audibly swallowed as Haru’s azure glare intensified and he began tapping his foot slowly on the concrete. Igraine’s words quickened, despite their seemingly unflappable appearance they had portrayed, it seemed they were not keen on Haru losing his temper again. 

“-the Lady Mauraine had created. Her great majesty the Goddess has enclosed her reasons as well as further details of this mission within the letter, Nanase-sama. We are to escort you until each and every of the conditions in the letter have been fulfilled, Nanase-sama. Although...”

Pale violet eyes darted from one swimmer to the next in quick succession before returning to meet Haru’s.

“…I do suppose I will have to return to receive instructions as to how to work around this situation, Nanase-sama.”

The two regarded each other for a long while before several grumbles broke the tension.

“Aaah! Sorry, sorry, I haven’t eaten since lunch and I’m just a bit hungry...” Nagisa let out a forced laughter as everyone turned their eyes to him before another growl sounded, this time from Nitori who blushed a fierce red and looked at the ground. 

“Why don’t we get dinner somewhere and continue from there?” Makoto suggested, opening his phone to check the time. “It’s getting late anyways. Our parents will start to worry.”

“Oi, what about us? There is no way we’re getting left out of the loop, not now. Not after all this-”

Samezuka’s captain stated, gesturing with one hand, the other firmly placed on his hips and fixing the trio with a soft, yet sharp golden look of his own. The smallest squeaked and looked from Igraine to Haru with a frantic expression wide in the mismatched eyes.

“Aaah, uhm, Nanase-sama....” The odd-eyed one started and squeaked again when the attention turned to them “Ah uhm, well before we left I received this from Mie and Kathrin...”

They shifted their cloak slightly to fish around in a small satchel that hung at their hip, strap crossing the white and dark grey clad chest, they withdrew a small card. The small figure shuffled forward and bowed as they held it out towards Haru. The black haired teen took it and made a small sound in his throat after glancing briefly at it.

“Of course they would. Come.”

Haru shoved the card and the letter into his jacket pocket and turned, striding through the other swimmers at a brisk pace. The cloaked trio springing forward to follow, exactly two paces behind him, spread out equidistant to his rear left, center and right. The remaining swimmers glanced to each other then followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Useful notes/Pronunciations  
> Amerlain : Ah-mer-lain  
> Igraine : Eeg-rain  
> Connolly : Con-nollie
> 
> traking the tumblr tag- fic: free resonance . I'll post any art I do under that tag!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, the Lady bringing you Chapter Two here! I hope you're enjoying Resonance so far. I don't have a set update schedule, but I do think I'll update once a week, so look forward to that!

~2~

Haru lead them out of the Samezuka gates and down the short hill. No one felt like talking as they followed the strange trio with Haruka in the lead. He bypassed the way towards the train station and led them instead down the short paved path that gave way for dirt as it wound its way into the surrounding woods. 

Haru’s face was set in a neutral expression, but his eyes held a serious fire within them. The trio that followed carried similar expressions. The tallest looked like their face was carved from stone with how hard set it was, violet eyes seemingly catching the fading light to glow. The middle-height was softer, and the shortest one had worry clearly visible in the two colors that shone. Makoto carried a similar expression, worried for his childhood friend. It was as if the boy that Makoto had known for 17 years was changed, he wasn’t the same boy any more. It hurt Makoto more than he realized, the thought that Haru wasn’t the same person he thought he knew.

‘What if everything has been a lie...no, Haru is still Haru, no matter what. I’ll wait for him.’ 

Where he walked next to the worried-eyed Iwatobi Captain, Mikoshiba had a half baffled, half annoyed, look on his face. 

‘All I did was return Gou-kun’s notebook to Tachibana, though thinking about it now I could have tried to use it as bartering to get her number from Matsuoka, and now all of a sudden I’m caught up in..whatever this is. Aaah it isn’t fair. Hopefully she messages me back though, and then I’ll have it anyway, provided we get out of whatever this business with Nanase.’ The fire-top thought as he glanced over his shoulder to where the violet-red haired second year walked beside his roommate, glaring daggers in the back of the tallest figure’s head.

‘Obviously Rin-sempai is not about to forgive Connolly-san anytime soon.’ Nitori thought as he looked between his sempai and the tallest figure. 

‘I’m sure thats what Nanase-sempai said their name was, Igraine Connolly-san, when we were at Samezuka...and Rin-sempai stood in front of me...I wonder if this means Rin-sempai...!!’ spots of red colored his cheeks and ears as he glanced up to Rin, smiling a little at the memory that Rin had the instinct to protect him.

The Iwatobi first years brought up the rear, Nagisa reading the situation well and keeping his mouth shut, instead deciding to cling to Rei’s arm which forced the taller first year to lean to one side. Sighing, Rei leaned over further to softly mutter into his teammate’s ear, nose brushing against the golden curls.

“Nagisa-kun, you shouldn’t cling so tightly to me. It would be most unsightly and not beautiful in the slightest if you caused me to trip in these woods.”

This brought a blush to Nagisa’s face and he loosened his grip only slightly, sliding his hand down to twine his fingers with Rei’s instead. It was Rei’s turn to blush a luminous red that went unnoticed by all.

They emerged in a spacious clearing and in the center there was a small house surrounded by a tall fence with no visible gate. The fence was made of curving metal, no space large enough for even the smallest of them to shimmy through.

“Oi, where did this come from? We’ve run through this spot a hundred times or more and I never once saw-” Samezuka’s captain began but before he could continue the medium height figure that stood at Haru’s left cut him off with a sharp, grey eyed glare and a curt whisper of,

“Silence. Nanase-sama must concentrate.”

Haru ignored them all and stopped in front of the tall fence. The trio behind him dropped to one knee, heads bowed as he raised a hand in front of his chest, palm facing the sky. He muttered something under his breath and a small ball of blue light rose above his palm. It pulsed in time with his heart beat before it stretched into the form of a key. He inserted it into a seemingly random gap in the metal work and turned. With his back to the group, no one could see what was occurring. They did notice however, what came next.

Several gasps could be heard as the metal parted into an archway, a light emanating mist hovering beyond it, although the fence to either side of the arch showed no mist at all, not even a tendril. Haru paid it no mind as he strode through the opening and the others hesitantly followed, with varying degrees of apprehension. The metal returned to its position, sealing itself with a soft clang behind Rei and Nagisa as they stepped through, bringing up the rear of the group.

It was like they had stepped into a completely different world. The sky, that had begun to be kissed by the darkness of the night, had become bright as it had in the afternoon. A stone paved path was bordered by flowers of all shapes and colors. Where the small shack-like house had stood, a grand mansion took its place.

The mansion was made out of a pale brick, the varying sizes creating patterns all across the surface. It was at least three, if not four stories tall at the highest point, two other wings spread out more towards the rear of the main building. The arches of the porch that surrounded it had delicate patterns carved out of the corners between the gentle arch and the sturdy columns holding up a slanted ever so slightly, blue tiled roof. 

The breeze carried the scent of honey and flowers as Haru lead them up the stone path, across a short bridge crossing over a burbling stream to a semi circle of large stone slabs, one of which was inlaid with a pattern of shining blue stones. He gestured for them to wait there before taking the steps two at a time, the trio following with near-soundless steps. Haru knocked sharply on one of the wooden doors several times, crossing his arms as he stepped back and waited.

The door opened a crack before it was flung open with a great force and a figure came all but flying out of the mansion, their loud cry of “Haruka-chaaaaaan!” being the only warning they gave.

Haru remained calm as he smoothly stepped to the side, dodging the figure. His movement caused the odd-eyed brunette that stood to his right to catch the full brunt of the blow, falling backwards onto the smooth boards of the porch with a squawked “Oomph!”

The figure was a woman with red, though it bordered more on bright orange hair done up in a series of braids that wound around her head, two braids hanging on either side of her face that were woven with and secured by thin blue ribbons that had small pearls hanging on the ends.. She wore a dress of mainly dark blue, though as she sat up straight and the fabric shifted it seemed to change gradients. The tightly laced corset emphasized her hourglass figure and the exposed pale skin. She wore a caplet that fell gracefully off of her shoulders and down her back pinned with curled silver pins along the embroidery of her neckline. The skirt rippled like waves beneath the panels that hung down along the front and back of the gown, trimmed with intricate patterns of white and gold embroidery and small pearls and sapphires. The sleeves were sewn close to delicate limbs and the ends of the sleeves came to a point, covering the backs of her hands and decorated with the same swirling design as the figure’s gloves, although this new lady had blue gems set in the center of the design. 

Several rings decorated her fingers and a blue stone surrounded by pearls hung off of a dark blue band around her neck. Soft leather soled blue slippers that were also embroidered with swirling patterns of gold poked out beneath the hem of her dress. She looked around from her position on the ground in confusion and saw who she landed on.

“Huh? I thought I aimed for Haruka-chan though...” 

She turned where she sat straddling the shortest figure and her face broke into a grin. Springing up in such a way that should not have been possible in the gown, she caught Haru in a fierce whirling hug and spun him around, resting her hands on his shoulders as she looked him up and down.

“Haruka-chan! It’s been too long since you came here last! Why don’t you come by more often? It’s rude you know, to ignore the High Lady Sui’an after all she’s done for you!”

“Maren, you know as well as I do that I was busy. And drop the -chan, I’m not a kid anymore.”

“But it’s so cute Haruka-chan! It’s such a cute ending I can’t help myself. Either way you would have had to come back because of-”

The woman, Maren, Haru had called her, paused and looked over his shoulder at the swimmers with large dark brown eyes that became filled with questions as she looked them over as Haru moved out from her reach.

She put a finger to her lip and tucked the other around her slim waist, tilting her head and asking in a seemingly innocent tone, 

“Who are these people Haruka? Are they new followers aiming to become your servants?”

Rin growled and bared his teeth at that statement. Mikoshiba and Makoto shared a brief glance before the captains each hooked an arm beneath Rin’s armpits in order to hold him back before the shark-toothed boy flew off in an attempt at a violent rampage again.

“There’s no way in a hundred years would I even consider being that guy’s servant.” Rin spat on the tiles with a growl. Before he could continue though, he gasped, going limp in the captains’ hold as coughing suddenly wracked his body with tremors.

“Oi Matsuoka! Matsuoka!”

“Rinrin what’s wrong?”

“Rin-sempai!”

“Rin-san!”

Haru glanced from her expression- eyes narrowed, painted lips pulled back slightly to reveal clenched teeth- to where the others had gathered around Rin.

He had fallen down from the captains’ hold and now had one hand pressed against the paving stones as he coughed and pulled wheezing gasps of air, the other hand clawing at his neck, trying to pull against a rope that wasn’t there that constricted his neck, limiting the amount of oxygen he could inhale as he desperately tried to fill his lungs with breath that wouldn’t come. Makoto was kneeling beside him, worry painted across his face as he tried to help however he could, rubbing circles into Rin’s back, wincing slightly whenever a cough wracked Rin’s body beneath his hand and gentle strokes.

“Maren, let him go.” His tone was soft, but firm. Her eyes glanced at him, hatred for the redhead clearly spoken in their depths. He stared right back, head only turning back to the scene as Rin let out a cough that sounded even more raspy and desperate than before.

“That’s an order.”

Maren let out a hissing breath through her teeth and raised her right hand, palm facing the ground and extended a finger that bore a wine red gem set into a silver band. Her hand twitched, palm now facing the sky as her fingers curled inward, nails pressing crescent marks into the pale flesh of her palm. She refused to look in his direction, though she could feel his heated glare, instead looking out across the sky, mouth set in a tight line.

~~~

On the ground below them, Rin took a deep shuddering breath, continuing to cough as he sucked oxygen down into his lungs, greedily filling them full as the hand that had been clawing now rubbed small circles onto his throat, the scratches from his nails burning beneath his fingertips. A thick red line pulsed angrily once before vanishing. Only the sharpest of eyes could have caught it.

It had only taken moments from start to finish, but it felt like hours as Rin accepted a water bottle from Nitori. He began taking slow sips at Mikoshiba’s suggestion while Makoto continued to rub soothing circles into his back.

Rin looked up to where Haru and the woman Maren stood. He was giving her an otherwise disinterested look, but Rin could catch the fire of anger in those blue depths. Haru flicked his eyes over to him and though Rin was no Makoto Tachibana, able to read Haru’s thoughts at a glance, but he was 90% sure there was regret in them now. 

‘What does he have to apologize for?’ 

The far-too chipper tone of the orange haired woman broke the tense air and distracted Rin from that train of thought, getting shoved to the corner of his mind to be forgotten about.

“Now that little _incident_ is done and over with, come inside come inside!” 

Maren bounded down to the pavement, shooing them up the few stairs and into the grand house, bringing up the rear in a flourish of skirts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Useful notes/Pronunciations:  
> Sui'an: Swee-ahn  
> Maren: Mah-ren
> 
> Traking the tumblr tag- fic: free resonance . I'll post any art I do under that tag!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lady here bringing you a late night update! I hope you enjoy properly meeting some new characters!

~3~

The swimmers gaped openly. 

Marble pillars reaching high into a domed ceiling and the stunning chandelier that hung there. The wooden banisters of the two curving staircases shone, carved with intricate patterns. A fountain gurgled loudly in the spacious room.

The marble statue was of a kneeling woman, holding a bowl of water that overflowed through the carvings around the rim and down her delicately carved hands and into the basin to pool and lap at the folds of the carved tunic the woman wore pinned at one shoulder.

Maren moved to the front of the group and lead them through another pair of doors down a hall. Elegantly woven tapestries hung evenly spaced out on the wall in bright colors. Lamps with mirrored backs cast light throughout the hall, even up to the peak of the slightly curved ceiling. A bright red rug embroidered with gold, blue and green spirals and patterns muffled their footsteps as they followed the woman to another carved door.

She opened the door and they entered into another room, as grandiose as the entry way. A fire crackled softly in the stone hearth, filling the room with a soft warmth that was pleasant, none of the swimmers felt the need to shed their team jackets. There was a soft and subtle scent of vanilla in the air. 

Several bookcases filled to the brim were interspersed with tall windows, the deep blue drapes covering all but one that looked upon a lake. A white pavilion with gauzy curtains that moved in the breeze sat on the banks of the shimmering lake where swans dipped their heads beneath the surface they glided upon. There were many empty plush looking chairs and couches in the room, some having books set aside on their seats.

One however, was occupied.

The figure had their back to the door. A head of messy white-blond hair rested on one of the arms of the chair they occupied, legs clothed in dark brown shorts with high white socks peeking out from laced boots draped over the other arm. 

The figure was otherwise completely absorbed in the book they read, tracing small fingers over the watercolor illustration on the page they stared at. At the sound of the large group shuffling in though, the figure tilted their head back and grinned.

“Ooooh Haru’s back to play!”

The white haired person slid off of the chair and stood, straightening the many ruffles on the snow white shirt under a light brown vest. Teal eyes looked over the swimmers and the person nodded, grinning broadly.

“I’m known as Claude, pleasure to meet you all! I may look like a girl, but I’m a boy no doubt about it!” He said, making an over the top bow, sweeping his arm out and nearly doubling in two.

‘He and Nagisa will probably get along...’ Makoto mused as Claude straightened from his bow, eyes shining in the light of the room. Nagisa bounced forward and clasped the newly introduced Claude’s hands in his own.

“I’m Nagisa Hazuki! Pleased to meet you Claude-chan!” The blonde had an equally sparkling look in his eyes, from the excitement of everything and now there was another boy as short as he and Nitori in the group! It was all so exciting for the blonde.

“Pleased to meet you Hazuki-san! I think we’re going to have a wonderful time together to get to know each other!” He squeezed their clasped hands together.

“Claude.”

Maren’s voice wasn’t harsh, but it sent a visible shudder up the pale blonde's back. The room felt as if it had dropped ten degrees, even with the fire crackling as Claude turned toward her, dropping the hold he and Nagisa had as his shoulders crawled up to his ears when he looked up to where she stood next to Haru, arms crossed under her ample bust, the fingers of her left hand tapping ominously on her upper right arm. The aqua gem set into one of her rings-a gold band- flashed and Claude shifted, waiting for her to continue as he attempted to make himself smaller.

“Go get a set of tea ready for...” Maren paused to half turn to count those standing around near the doorway still “for eight, and hurry it up!” she barked the order before turning back to the group, smiling politely as Claude scrambled to leave the room, the swimmers in between him and the door stepping out of the way. He muttered soft apologies as he passed by them on his way out of the room. After he pulled the door shut, Rin and Rei, the last two inside the library like room, could hear his frantic footfalls getting softer and softer as he ran away from the room.

At Claude’s departure from the room, Haru stepped forward and turned to face the group. He opened his mouth but Nagisa was the first to speak, tugging at his sleeve.

“Oi oi Haru-chan! What’s going on? What’s with this big fancy house and the weird people with weirder clothing and why was Claude-kun so scared and what’s going oooooon?” he whined, turning his magenta eyes onto Haru in a pleading way, ignoring Rei’s hurried whisper of “Nagisa-kun, you can’t say things like that!”

Haru sighed and turned to Maren who shrugged as if to say ‘He’s your teammate’ before she clapped her hands together, gesturing broadly with her left hand over the room. 

Books  
 _flew_ over to be stacked neatly on the broader tables, the smaller side-tables, various chairs and a few of the couches _floating_ across the room to be arranged. Two couches and three chairs in particular formed a neat semi-circle, facing a single armchair and chaise lounge with a shared end table between them. A few of the floating end tables as well as low coffee tables set themselves neatly in front of the couches and in between the chairs with enough space for the persons to settle onto the seating.

Haru made a small sound of approval, striding over and settling down into the lone armchair that was draped with a dark blue cloth over the back and arms, sitting as regally as any European king. He lazily gestured with one hand to the rest of the seats as the cloaked trio surround his chair. The smallest kneeling at the left, the middle height at the right and the tallest of them all, Igraine, standing behind the shortest on the left hand side, head and shoulders clearing the back of the chair.

~~~

The remaining boys just stood and gaped. The furniture had just _moved_ at Maren’s gesture. It had gotten up from its original position and moved over to where it now sat, appearing as normal as anything. To top it off, Haru hadn’t been fazed by any of it! Then again, when was the freestyler fazed by anything? They watched as Maren strode over to the chaise lounge next to Haru, gracefully arranging her skirts to drape over the edge as she propped herself up onto the lone arm.

Nagisa was the first of the remaining swimmers to recover, bounding over to the chairs with a squeaked “So cool!” as he settled himself onto one of the two couches.

“Rei-chan Rei-chan! Come over here and sit next to me!”

Nitori was next, claiming one side of the other couch for himself.

The others followed suit soon after. Some, namely Makoto who looked pale and wide eyed as if the furniture was all possessed and Rei who was muttering about it being ‘preposterous’ and ‘impossible’ so much that Nagisa had to get up and drag the glasses wearing boy back to the couch, were worried the furniture would get up and move again with them on it.

Mikoshiba seemed to take it in stride as he strode over to one of the chairs, crossing one leg over the other as he sat down, propping his right elbow on the armrest and resting his cheek on the closed fist. Makoto took the other chair after giving it a very cautious look-over, leaving Rin to join Nitori on his couch.

Before he sat down, he looked around the room, running a hand through his hair. For a moment, he met Haru’s eyes before feeling the heavy weight of a jealous gaze bore into the side of his head. He flicked his eyes to the side and red met very dark brown. A shiver went up Rin’s back.

“Rin-sempai, are you cold? We could ask Hazuki-san and Ryugazaki-san if they could switch so you could be closer to the fire...”

“I’m fine, Ai. I’m fine.” Rin muttered as he sat down, sliding down in the seat as he felt that jealousy filled gaze slide over him once again.

The silver haired boy didn’t seem convinced, but let it drop.

‘Rin-sempai will tell me when he wants to, I’m sure of it!’ with that mental pep talk, Nitori looked from his roommate to where Haru sat, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere but there, 

‘Probably a pool.’

“Haruka-sempai, now could you explain...whatever this is all about?” Rei spoke up above the murmurs, looking to where Haru was as he sat rigidly on the couch next to Nagisa.

“Yeah Yeah Haru-chan, what's going on? How did all the furniture move? Where is this place? What’s going on? Why is it so much bigger on the inside?”

Nagisa was still looking around in amazement and Rei had to wrap an arm around the energetic blonde, pulling him onto his lap to keep him still the best he could, placing the other hand over Nagisa’s mouth to keep him silent.

“I think it might be best to start with some proper introductions.” Rei said, face flushed a light red as he glanced over to where Haru and the still strangers sat while Nagisa wiggled on his lap, face turning a light pink behind Rei’s hand.

“And what better way to do it than with tea and cakes!”

Several of the boys jumped in their seats as Claude bounded his way back into the room. The boy had donned a white frilly apron tied with a large bow at the back over his outfit and was pushing a cart with several plates, cups, silverware and an ornate teapot that was steaming slightly from the spout. A tower of desserts sat next to the teapot, a ring of cake as well as smaller treats and chocolate molded into squares and topped with varying patterns.

Whatever had terrified Claude on his exit from the room, he showed no signs of it now as he bustled about, pouring tea and setting the cups onto delicately patterned saucers. Makoto rose to help several times, but Claude shooed him back into his seat each time he got up.

“I’m used to it! I’ll be done in a moment, Tachibana-sama!” He said each time it occurred and accompanied it with a bright smile before he turned to pour the next cup of tea.

Nagisa had wormed his way out of Rei’s lap and was eagerly devouring a slice of strawberry shortcake, and by the near-erotic sounds he was making, he enjoyed it immensely. Makoto politely accepted his tea as well as a small plate of chocolate treats. Rin refused any treat with a glare.

Haru accepted his cup with a small nod and took a sip. He set it back onto the saucer, waiting. When everyone had been served, it was then he placed both onto the small end table between his arm chair and Maren’s chaise lounge before he cleared his throat, silencing the room.

“I suppose it is time for explanations and introductions.”

He glanced around the room at his fellow swimmers, then to the cloaked figures surrounding his chair. Haru sighed and stood, turning to his left and offering a hand to Maren, who delicately took it as she rose gracefully.

“Introduce yourself.” he said flatly.

“So cold, Nanase-chan!” The woman pouted her painted lips at him before turning to the rest, smiling kindly. “I am Maren Teagan, I used to be in charge of this one,”

She ruffled Haru’s hair which was responded with a flat glare that caused her hand to make a hasty retreat back behind the folds of her skirt.

“When he was young, before he came to this town to play. I do hope we will all get along well without any _incidents._ ”

Rin shivered as Maren curtsied deeply, her eyes fixed on him and sat again, leaning against the arm of the chaise and grinning mischievously. Haru gave the back of her head another seemingly flat stare, but it was one that Makoto caught anger within, as he took a sip of his tea, before turning his attention to the white blonde and nodding.

Claude took his cue and bounded into the middle of the circle from where he had sat next to the cart.

“I’m still the same Claude! Claudius Tomas Conway is my full name! I help out around the house and run errands as needed! Haru and I have known each other since forever because I’m-”

He cut off with a high pitched squeak, one hand flying to his throat and tugging at his collar, loosening the ribbon looped there as the other moved over his mouth when a storm of coughs silenced whatever he had been going to say.

Behind her skirt clad hip, Maren lowered one ring encircled finger, the aqua gem pulsing faintly before dimming again. She fixed Claude with a stare and a shiver went down her own spine as she felt Haru’s fierce glare fixed upon her as he rose to help the smaller boy.

Makoto, who had reacted faster than anyone when he sprang to his feet the second the boy had squeaked in surprise knelt by the smaller boy with a worried expression, supporting him with one hand on a shoulder and the other gently rubbing circles into his back as Claude coughed and wheezed.

“Claude, what happened?” Haru’s voice was firm, but gentle, as he knelt beside Makoto. Nitori joining them, offering his still filled teacup to Claude to sip at.

“I’m so sorry for disrupting your tea Tachibana-sama, Nitori-sama, Haru! I’m all right now, really I am! It just happens sometimes.”

“It’s like when we were outside with Rin...” Makoto muttered softly and Haru shot Maren another glare over his friend’s shoulder.

As if he sensed the tension that was going to build between Maren and Haru, Claude cut back in with an energetic “Really I’m okay Tachibana-sama!”

To Claude’s credit, he only coughed once before he bounced up and began clamoring up Makoto to sit on the taller boy’s shoulders. If Makoto hadn’t been used to his siblings doing similar actions, he might have protested more. He quietly chuckled and slid Claude off of his shoulders and back onto the ground, giving him a worried once-over before returning to his seat while Claude thanked Nitori for offering his tea and that it was alright, he was fine and didn’t need a drink.

Makoto tried to catch Haru’s eye as the black haired boy returned to his separate arm chair, to get any sort of answer, but he saw that Haru was looking at Claude with a look that he hadn’t seen before. It was a mixture of emotions, predominantly sadness and worry with a touch of anger.

That surprised Makoto, it was understandable to be worried about Claude, since the white haired boy had just gone through a sudden coughing fit after all, but sadness and anger? It puzzled him, and he made a note to ask him about it later.

Haru turned from looking at the white haired boy, who was now sitting on a small stool next to Nitori’s end of the couch, to his chair and the trio that surrounded it. He sat back down with a small huff and tapped the kneeling brunet to his right, sending them scrambling into the center of attention.

“Introduce yourself.”

The brunette nodded and swept off the cloak with a long practiced grace and flourish, draping it over one arm as they bowed.

“I am Marian Rosarias, sent from the Goddess Amerlain to guard over Nanase-sama until such conditions she set for he are fulfilled.” 

They rose with a soft smile, dual colored eyes catching the light and sparkling. Without the grey cloak to shield them, they could see Marian’s outfit clearly. It consisted of a dark grey turtleneck, a white, unzipped jacket with gold and yellow decoration along the zipper, hem and cuffs. A gold emblem was stitched onto the left side of the jacket. Their pants were a simple pair of white trousers tucked into brown boots that rose a little above the ankle. They still had on the black gloves with the yellow patterns which were currently gripping the strap of the plain brown satchel that crossed their chest. A small amber stud pierced the left ear above a gold hoop and small gold ball stud. A simple gold clip set with an amber colored gem perched on the curve of their right ear while a hoop and a stud pierced the lobe.

“Ne ne Mari-chan!” Nagisa spoke with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Nagisa-kun, no.” Rei said, knowing that tone of voice and knowing it was futile to stop it.

“Are you a boy or a girl?” Nagisa finished, shooting Rei a victorious smirk that was received with a heavy sigh from Rei as he raised a hand to simultaneously adjust his glasses and face palm.

“I must apologize for him, Rosarias-san, he gets this way sometimes and-”

“I’m a boy, Hazuki-san.” The lightly tanned boy had a dusting of pink across his cheeks as he turned to face the blonde.

“There is no trouble in his question, Ryugazaki-san, I get it a lot so I’m used to it.” He blushed harder and retreated to Haru’s side once more, kneeling as the figure to the left rose.

They removed their cloak with a subtle, more refined grace than Marian had. With the cloak removed, the figure curtsied deeply, rising as she introduced herself.

“My name is Saphira Dee. I am also here on the will of the Goddess Amerlain. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I do hope we will get along in our time together.”

She was wearing a two toned shirt, that had long dark grey sleeves that tucked into the green patterned gloves, with a tighter fitting, high collared, white chest that had two small slits on the slightly flared hem. On her left breast she also bore the crest that Marian had. Subtle gold and green detailing trimmed the hem of the shirt as well as the white miniskirt she wore over dark green tights. The skirt had higher slits along the hip, probably for easy movement. Her soft brown boots were laced up to her knees, the tops folded down and also laced together to keep them down.

Saphira raised one hand to stroke along her braid, toying slightly with the gold clasp with the blue-green oval set into it that held the end together. Her grey eyes scanned over the room behind thin framed glasses and her bangs were pushed back by a headband that seemed to be made of braided gold strands. Unlike Marian before her, she did not have any piercings.

“I hope so as well...” Mikoshiba muttered softly, to which he got an elbow in the ribs from a blushing Nitori who reprimanded him with a stern whisper of “Captain!”

Saphira didn’t seem to notice his comment as she bobbed another short curtsy before she returned to her place at Haru’s side, adjusting her thin framed glasses as she glanced around the room.

The tallest was the last to step forward. They practically glided forward and removed their cloak in one smooth motion, draping it over one arm as they bowed.

“I am Igraine Connolly. Leader of this mission on the behalf of our Goddess’s command.”

She, for without the cloak concealing everything but her head and boots was clearly a she, also wore a high collared dark grey shirt tucked into the black gloves with the green patterns. A patterned silver cuff band could just be seen from under each glove. Her vest was tightly fitting, but loose enough to allow fluid movements. The shorter peaks in the front matched with the high slits she also bore in her skirt for movement, while the rear peaks ended just beyond her knees. There was fine gold and green embroidery along the hem of both skirt, vest and surrounding the crest she too bore on the left side of her vest. Her green leggings were darker than Saphira’s and she also wore her boots to knee height, laced securely in place. She also had piercings dotting along her ears, but in silver instead of gold and not as numerous as Marian’s. The clip she wore in her left ear was connected to a small green gem by a thin chain. A pair of matching gem studs dotted her right ear.

Igraine swept back into her position, staring forward and donning her cloak once more as Haru rolled his eyes.

“Claude.” The boy jumped to attention, springing over to Haru’s side with a sunny smile, the polar opposite of how he had reacted to Maren’s call of his name.

“Yes Haru?”

“I want you and Maren to go prepare dinner for our guests, as they must be thoroughly famished by now despite Chef’s fine cake. Also inform Maude that I request ‘that’ of her.”

“As you wish, it will be done Haru!” Claude bounded out of the room, shucking his apron off in the process as he went. Maren stood gracefully and curtsied deeply to Haru.

“By your leave I shall do as commanded.”

Twitching her lips in a smile, she rose and swept past the group, hand brushing Rin’s shoulder, sending a shiver through the redhead, and with that she was gone as well.

~~~

When the door shut behind her with a soft ‘click’, Haru sighed and sank back into the soft chair.

“I’m getting too old for this nonsense...” He muttered under his breath, too quiet for anyone but the guardians to hear. Their faces remained stoic, although Marian quirked a smile when Nagisa beamed in his direction.

“Nanase-sama, I believe the time has come upon us.” Saphira whispered to him, glancing around the room at the faces of those waiting with varying degrees of anticipation, or in Rin’s case, complete indifference.

“Yes, yes, I know.” Haru ran a hand through his ink black hair and let it flow back into his face with a sigh.

“Where do we begin?”

“You can start with all my questions Haru-chan! I’ve asked you so many and you’ve just ignored me!” Nagisa said with a pout.

“There’s so many strange things happening so fast! We need answers Haru-chan! Answers!”

“I have to agree with Nagisa-kun, ever since Dee-san, Connolly-san and Rosarias-san arrived, you’ve been acting different, Haruka-sempai.” Rei said, pushing his glasses up.

Haru sighed again. 

‘I seemed to be doing that a lot today.’ He noted dryly in the back of his mind.

“That’s because I am different.” He began after a moment of deliberation. Raising one hand, he caused a softly glowing blue ball of light to appear, hovering inches above his cupped palm.

“We, all of those whom you have met within this past hour, and those in the hours to come, are not from this world. Even now, we are no longer in Japan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation/Useful notes:  
> (if you want it)  
> Marian : Mar-ee-an  
> Rosarias : Ross-air-e-ass  
> Saphira: Sa-fee-ra


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lady here bringing you chapter four of Resonance! I hope you're enjoying it thus far ^^

~4~

This announcement was met with mixed results. 

Shock dropped Mikoshiba’s jaw, whereas excitement was practically radiating off of Nagisa at the statement and the ball of light. Rei was torn between being frozen stiff and trying to keep Nagisa under control to keep him from bouncing all across the room. Makoto was more surprised than anything else, eyebrows raised almost to his hairline. When he tried to ask Haru in the unspoken communication they had, he was met with nothing in response, which brought even more questions to the brunet.

Out of all of them, only Nitori seemed to be taking it all in a calm manner. He was the one who spoke next

“If you’re not of this world...”

Haru flicked a finger that sent the ball of light to circle around the grey-haired boy’s head, which was received with a small sound of surprise, but he continued nonetheless

“Then why did you decide to come here?”

“I got bored.” Haru responded in a flat, tone, picking up his cup to take a sip. He could feel their stares of disbelief, and it made the corner of his mouth twitch, but not turn into an outright grin. Haru set the cup back down and called the ball of light back to his palm to stare as it he made it dance along his fingers.

“I got bored in the Court and so I came down here. So far it has been more fun than I expected.” 

He looked up and at them all in turn, meeting each pair of eyes with a soft expression. 

“I never thought that I’d meet humans who could resonate so well with the water.”

“Resonate? What do you mean by that Haru-chan?”

Makoto asked with a confused expression as Haru rose from his chair, ignoring Nagisa’s mutter of “What does he mean ‘humans’ Rei-chan? Is Haru-chan not human?” Which prompted the taller to shush him as the blue eyed teen began to speak again.

“To try to explain it, you must know that the water is alive. It is alive, and once you dive in, it will immediately bare its fangs and attack. But there's nothing to fear.”

A small smile quirked across his lips as he spoke, looking around to them through half lidded eyes. 

“Don't resist the water. When you thrust your fingers into the surface and carve an opening, slide your body through that opening while moving your arms, your head, your chest...”

Nagisa and Makoto shared a look as Haru paused, examining a blue patterned bowl that was sitting on one of the nearby tables. When they were younger, Haru said something like this before, a saying his Grandmother had taught him.

The bowl Haru was examining was filled halfway with water and had a single flower floating within it. He cupped his hands and dipped them into the bowl, causing ripples to shift the flower from its central position over to one side of the bowl, lightly bumping the side before floating back to the center. Haru concentrated as he lifted the water out and let the few drops that slipped over his grasp fall onto the flower petals before he returned to the arrangement of chairs.

“When I feel the water, with not just my skin, not just the sight through my eyes, but my very soul, we resonate together. It speaks to me, _sings_ to me a melody only the resonant can hear. I never doubt what it makes me feel. I believe in the water, and so I believe in myself.”

Haru hummed lightly and spread his hands. The water _floated_ there in midair, still in the cupped shape. The ball of light reappeared with a flick of his hand and Haru placed it within the watery bowl. The effect was brilliant, the light through the shifting water casting patterns onto the walls and floor.

“Don't resist the water. Welcome it. We accept one another, the resonation between us is strong, and so it chose me for the champion.”

He looked at the floating water with shining eyes. Contentment eased the tension in his shoulders as he watched the patterns dance with a small smile and gentle eyes. The water-bowl of light pulsed in its midair position, causing the patterns to shake. Haru tilted his head to one side, the small smile falling into a frown.

“Come again? I missed that bit.”

He reached one hand up and brought the bowl closer to him, visible concern as the water shook again.

“That’s odd...why...”

Saphira spoke up softly, “I believe you should read the Goddess Amerlain’s letter now...”

She kept her eyes fixed anywhere but Haru as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, glancing instead to Marian whose expression flitted between worry and impassivity. Haru, whose frown had morphed into surprise, gently deposited the water back into the patterned bowl before grabbing the ivory letter out of his pocket, not pausing to dry his hands.

~~~~

He hurriedly broke the seal and dug out the papers folded neatly within. There was a small clinking sound as a pair of rings fell to the table. Eyes darting across the flowing script, he read. Haru’s frown deepened into a scowl that bared his teeth for a fraction of a second before he regained control of himself as his eyes darted down the page. His hands shook, almost tearing the papers in two as he switched pages to finish. With a low growl, he shoved the papers back into his pocket, bending over to pick up the pair of rings, muttering softly.

“Just who-...What gives her the nerve...of all things she could have done...” Haru growled deep in his throat again, louder this time, as he shoved the pair of rings into his pocket alongside the letter.

“Haru, is something wrong?” Makoto asked gently, eyes brimming with worry for his friend. Haru had never shown such a variety of emotions as Makoto had seen within the past few hours.

“ _That woman_ has sealed my ability to resonate with the water by using these accursed things.”

Haru lifted his left hand, pushing down his sleeve to reveal a band of symbols encircling his wrist. The ring on his fourth finger caught the light and the gem on it sparkled. Tugging at his right sleeve, it revealed the same series of symbols.

“The only good thing about what that damn woman did was that she made it so that only those who are involved can see them, which is a good thing in a sense of the word. It’s annoying though, being restrained as I am.”

The room was quiet for a while before a knock on the door startled everyone but Haru. Marian rose and opened it, admitting a maid who curtsied deeply.

“Dinner has been prepared, my lord. Madame Maude also passes on her word that your request has been made ready for when you are ready for it my lord.”

“Thank you. Saphira, Marian, please escort my guests to the dining room. Igraine, follow me. I am going to have a long talk with Sui.” Haru said as he rose from his seat and strode out of the room, Igraine a grey cloaked shadow following on his heels.

~~~

Those who remained were lead to another room. This one had large windows that showed beautiful, meticulously taken care of gardens of flowers with winding paths coursing through them. A table that was laden with many dishes was the center point of the room. They seated themselves, Nagisa pulling Rei and Marian to sit on either side of him and Makoto pulling out Saphira’s chair for her before taking his own next to Rei.

“This has been an interesting day, hasn’t it Rin-sempai?”

Nitori’s statement caused Rin to startle slightly. The redhead had been spacing out ever since Maren had brushed against him on her way out to follow Haru’s command. Even Haru’s declaration that they were no longer in Japan had only quirked an eyebrow. Rin made a small ‘tch’ and rubbed at one eye as if he had just woken up.

“I guess so.” He muttered, his hand lightly touching his throat before picking up his spoon to start eating.

Makoto looked across the table at him worriedly before Nagisa attracted their attention when he knocked over his glass of water onto Marian’s lap with a gesture from a story he was telling the brunet.

“Ah! I’m sorry Mari-chan! I didn’t mean to!” The blond said hurriedly, grabbing a napkin to help dry his lap. He stared in amazement at the water droplets that rested on top of the fabric of Marian’s pants, he reached out and stroked the material lightly, causing a blush to deepen

“It’s alright, Hazuki-san. I’m fine, a little water won’t hurt me.” Marian said, lightly pushing on Nagisa to get him back into his seat, a faint blush on his face. “Really, I’m fine. It’s just a bit of water.”

“Wah! It’s not even soaking in! What are your clothes made of Mari-chan?”

“Nagisa, let Rosarias-san be. You’re embarrassing him.” Makoto’s gentle voice and stern expression made the blond retreat back to his seat, pulling his hands into his lap with a muttered “Sorry Mari-chan.”

“Thank you, Tachibana-san. To answer your question, I’m not sure myself, Hazuki-san.”

“My name’s not ‘Hazuki-san’ its Nagisa! Na-gi-sa!” Moving his hand from his own lap, he poked Marian in the chest, beaming a smile that took the brunet back for a moment before returning it softly, blush fading from his cheeks.

“Well then, Nagisa...-san, you were saying in your story? I think you left off with ‘and then Rei-chan...’”

~~~

Dinner continued in a relative silence with a few light conversations and compliments about the food being shared occasionally.

Somewhere near the end, when the maids had withdrawn the emptied plates and bowls, filled cups and brought out dessert did Haru reappear with Igraine at his heels. Haru took the remaining seat next to Makoto and Igraine the one next to Saphira on the opposite side of the table.

“Did something happen, Haru?” Makoto asked softly as Haru accepted a glass of water and sipped at it, frowning into the carved glass.

“Apparently Sui and the Goddess Amerlain planned for this, somehow. It’s a little, complicated though.” He sighed and ran his other hand through his hair, musing it for only a moment before Makoto smoothed it back out of habit.

“I’ll explain it when everyone is done.” If Makoto hadn’t been paying as close attention as he had, he wouldn’t have caught the sighed out “Maybe.”

“Hmm~? What’s going on Haru-chan? What’s gonna happen next?” Nagisa asked as he popped up in between Haru’s legs from under the tablecloth.

Somewhere to his left Haru heard Rei give a mortified squawk and Makoto gave the blonde a reprimanding look accompanied by a stern “Nagisa, you can’t do that! Get out from under there now.”

Haru simply sighed and rested the cold glass of water onto Nagisa’s head, prompting the blond to give a squeak of his own as a few drops of condensation ran down his forehead.

“Unless you don't want to finish off your cake, I can’t tell you now.” He said flatly, lifting the glass to take another drink as Makoto coaxed Nagisa to return to his seat and finish the cake that sat there, not that he needed much prompting.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Nanase-sempai?” Nitori asked, glancing at the still empty plate in front of Haru.

“I ate with Sui.”

“Oh. May I ask who this Sui-san is?”

“Sui’an Nimue. To be blunt about her, she’s the head of this house and a consort of the Goddess Amerlain. She’s sneaky and when you ask for answers she’ll tell you a bunch of nonsense until you’re left with more questions than you started. I don’t know which of them I’m referring to anymore.”

“It doesn’t sound like you like them that much, Nimue-san and Goddess Amerlain-san.”

“I’m not answering that so don't push it.”

‘Something must have happened between Nanase-sempai and the ladies, either that or he really does care for them and is being a tsundere about it.’ Nitori thought as he took a bite of his dessert, tuning into where Nagisa was animatedly describing something to Marian.

Haru glanced over the rim of his cup as Nitori dropped the subject to where Rin sat, idly stirring a small bowl of pudding, chin resting on one hand as he gazed into space. That alone should have been enough warning, but when the redhead actually took a lazy spoonful of the dessert and put it in his mouth without the barest hint of a reaction, the alarm bells started ringing full-force. Something was definitely wrong with Rin.

Claude chose that moment to burst into the dining room, cartwheeling across the floor with nary a care.

“Ha~ru! Everything’s ready now! They are waiting for you to bring them so they can hand off the things~!” The white-blonde draped himself over Haru’s shoulders with a grin, obviously pleased with himself.

“When the meal is finished we shall go to them. Be patient for the time being.”

“But Ha~ru~~...”

“I said wait, Claude.”

“Fi~ne.” Claude slid off of Haru's shoulders and went to drape his short stature over someone else while they waited for everyone to finish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation/Useful notes:  
> Sui'an: Swee-an  
> Nimue: Nim-you


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeey! Lady here apologizing for missing last weeks update, I was super busy and didn't have much time to write, but here is chapter five! I hope you enjoy! Also, if you could read the end note I'd be super happy, but thats for later, enjoy!!

~5~

Haru lead them further down the corridors to another door, pausing once in their journey to send Claude scampering down a small stairwell after a muttered word into the white haired boy’s ear. This one had a small arched window set into it surrounded by carvings of elaborate birds and flowers. The glass was patterned in such a way you couldn’t see through it, but it still made for a beautiful insert into the otherwise plain door. Haru knocked twice before entering, the others following to gather inside.

The room had a domed ceiling. A small row of shaped windows at its base cast brilliant patterns into the room. A few tall windows were opened, gauzy curtains fluttering in the slight breeze. Several cats lounged about the room, a white and grey slept on one of the chaise lounges, while another with an orange and brown pattern sat up from where it had been lying in a patch of sunlight on a large pillow to meow at them.

“Nanami, Matsuri, we’re here.” Haru called out and the group heard hurried footsteps growing louder.

A door opened and a darkly tanned figure who towered over Mikoshiba- the tallest of the group- with long blond hair pulled into a high ponytail stepped out into the room. His sleeveless shirt was unbuttoned to show a key hanging on a leather cord and held loosely in place by a wide red sash from which a brown leather bag hung. He wore brown pants and a pair of black flats. There was a soft jingling sound as the newcomer clapped his hands together excitedly, gold colored bracelets clinking together as he looked over them with dark orange eyes.

“Oh Haru, _my darling!_ It’s been such a long time since you’ve come to see us! Don’t give me that look Haru or I swear to the Amerlain I’ll find that one print of-”

“Matsuri, I believe Sui sent you with orders?” Haru interrupted, a faint dusting of pink fading from his cheeks as he fixed a stern look towards the taller blonde, giving the appearance that he was to be taller from his sheer presence alone. The blonde waved a hand dismissively, bracelets clinking together musically.

“Yes, yes, of course _my darling_ Haru. Do you really doubt Nana and I? Of course we completed our orders!”

“Nanami? Never. You on the other hand...”

_“Daaaaarliiiing!”_

They were cut off by the soft laughter and following appearance of a second person from the doorway. Their clothing was more ambiguous than Matsuri’s had been, with a two toned green top with flaring sleeves, pale cream colored pants that puffed out slightly before coming in at the ankle along with the black flats that Matsuri wore. Their light brown hair was short and spiked up in the back with one long fringe on the right that hung down to mid-chest and secured with a green gem set into a gold clasp. They carried with them three boxes, two of similar size and a slightly larger third.

“Now now, behave Matsuri.” They said kindly, turning to the group and tilting their head to the side, multiple piercings in pointed ears clinking together softly as confusion flitted across their red eyes.

“High Lor-” Nanami was interrupted by one of the cats yowling and Marian’s yelp in pain. All eyes turned to the kneeling brunet. He had removed one of his gloves and had stuck a finger into his mouth, eyes clenched in pain.

As Makoto knelt beside the brunet to assess the damage. The boy had apparently stroked the cat the wrong way and had received a bite to his finger in punishment. Haru took the opportunity to face the two and place a finger over his lips before letting it down to his throat, drawing it across slowly while fixing the two with a stare. They understood the message and nodded.

“I thought only your guardians needed to come to us. We weren’t informed that we needed to prepare those things for more than the three we received the order for...” the brunette asked softly, looking to where Makoto had wrapped a Band-Aid around a blushing Marian’s finger. Haru responded in kind.

“No, you don't. They are simply my guests, please do not trouble yourself with worry.” Haru turned around and cleared his throat loudly, gathering the attention back to him. He gestured first to the tall blonde.

“As you’ve probably figured out, this tree of a being is Matsuri and she,” Haru gestured to the slightly shorter brunette who bowed slightly while simultaneously ignoring Matsuri’s indignant squawk, “Is Nanami. They take care of outfitting everyone in this house as they receive the orders for them.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. But I am afraid we must cut short our talk because of our duty. Perhaps if there is enough time afterwards, I’ll bring out the tea.” Nanami said, bowing again.

“Now then, Connolly, take this and go with Matsuri.” The tall guardian stepped forward and accepted the largest of the three boxes Nanami held, gliding behind the tall man as they left the room. 

“Rosarias, Dee, please follow me.” The two remaining guardians stepped forward and followed Nanami, disappearing into the hall that was hidden behind the now closed door.

~~~

It was an awkward silence as they waited. Makoto gravitated to one of the chaises with a white kitten lying on a patch of sunlight. Rei looked over the many books scattered about, not as many as the first room they had entered, but a good number. Nitori and Mikoshiba were looking at Rin with worry in their eyes, the redhead had wandered over to one of the open windows and sat on the sill. There was a small railing so he was in no danger of falling over, but the way he sat there in a trance was worrisome. 

Haru also watched him, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, frowning slightly.

‘Just what happened to cause Rin to act this way? Is it the shock? No, he’s taken everything thus far in stride, or a half dazed stride anyway. Perhaps...’

“Alright, the first part is done! Are you ready everyone?”

Matsuri’s voice broke the silence that held the room. The door sprang open and Matsuri stepped forward. The tall blond had swiped Igraine’s long violet patterned cloak, which hung to his mid-thighs, in order to gesture broadly as the trio stepped forward. Nanami brought up the rear, carrying three packed bags with a small smile.

Saphira had donned a light brown skirt with a white button up neatly tucked into it underneath a grey blazer she had buttoned up. Her dark blue hair still hung over one shoulder, although the silver and blue-violet clasp that had held it in place was replaced with a violet colored ribbon and her bangs were no longer pushed back completely, a few strands fell loose of the white headband perched within her hair. A green dotted bow was tied neatly at her collar and she had on dark tights and pristine white shoes that looked to be a combination of the flats they had seen everyone in this strange building wearing and sneakers.

Marian had donned a similar outfit, light brown trousers and a white button up as well. He wore a dark violet jumper underneath his unbuttoned blazer and was currently struggling with a red dotted tie. His ears seemed so bare without the many piercings adorning them. He also had on the strange flat-sneaker combination. Blue, red and yellow crests adorned the left side of both of their blazers.

Igraine on the other hand was dressed in white. She wore white trousers and a white standing collar uniform jacket that wasn’t quite buttoned up the entire way as well as a black pair of the flat-sneakers that Marian and Saphira wore. The open jacket revealed a dark purple t-shirt underneath and a pendant that had a two stylized silver feathers surrounding a gem that contrasted sharply with the dark purple material beneath it. As with Marian, her ears were bared of the silver piercings. There was a notable difference though...

“Igraine-chan, why are you a guy now?” Nagisa bluntly asked, pointing to her lack of chest which caused Rei to squawk and flush red, tugging Nagisa’s arm down with a reprimanding 

“Nagisa-kun!”

“Nagsia! Apologize now!”

“More importantly, why is Connolly-san wearing Samezuka’s uniform? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have Rosarias-san wear it since we’re an all-boys school?” Nitori pointed out in confusion.

“It is within my orders that I am assigned to Samezuka for the duration of this mission.” He said flatly, looking out of the corner of his eye in Rin’s direction as he spoke, as if expecting a reaction from the redhead that never came.

“Either way, we were not sure how long it will take for Nanase to complete the Goddess Amerlain’s task, so we decided to be safe and split the three of them up between the two schools.”

Haru looked to the red eyed brunet with an expression that was a mix between confusion and surprise.

“How do you know about that, Nanami?”

“A secret’s what makes a woman, woman, Nanase-sama.”

Haru grumbled and stared flatly at the smiling Nanami who continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted.

“And so with that in mind, we took the liberty and made a few arrangements ahead of time. I hope you don’t mind Nanase-sama.”

“Not like I would have had a choice otherwise.” Haru muttered

 _“Darling,_ do you really think that lowly of us?” Matsuri asked, leaning over the shorter teen for a brief moment before quickly retreating away from the backwards jerk of Haru’s elbow to his middle.

“ _Ahem,_ we borrowed Claude and Maren to assist in arranging a few things as our assistants are away currently. On that note, Rosarias will be returning to Iwatobi and take short term residence with Ryugazaki-san. Dee, you shall be residing with Nanase-sama and Connolly will be returning with Mikoshiba-san, Matsuoka-san and Nitori-san to the Samezuka Academy dorms.” She handed a bag to each guardian in turn.

“In here are a few changes of casual clothing and sleepwear as well as a spare uniform change, in case that one gets dirty. I also took the liberty of adding in your skins as well as a modified skin. Your Court-assigned uniforms are due for alterations so I took the initiative and set those aside to be worked on while you three attend to your mission.”

“If you need anything don't hesitate to send a message, High Lady Sui’an herself took the liberty of giving you all cell phones, they’re in there somewhere. All the important information is in there as well, you will report to her as needed.” Matsuri chimed in as he took off Igraine’s cloak and hummed lightly, changing it into a violet sweater that had a longer back than front before handing it back to the guardian who owned it. He was then on the receiving end of a chillingly flat stare as Igraine looped it in between the handles of his bag.

The trio confirmed their acknowledgement as Haru turned and left the room, Nitori tugging Rin from his perch on the windowsill to follow at the tail end of the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pronunciation/Useful notes:  
> none?
> 
> Heyo! Lady here hoping you enjoyed chapter five! As I updated the summery to say, these chapters are unbeta'd and I think that Resonance could really benefit from someone to give it a look over before I post them up, so if you could help out at all I'd be really grateful, send me a message to me at my tumblr, ladyaruofelyonia if you can help me! 
> 
> Thank you and see you next time!


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